Amazon is the number one household name when it comes to ereaders, and the company has updated its range with a new Kindle Paperwhite packed full of must-have features.
The Paperwhite is the best-selling product in Amazon's Kindle range, and the latest version takes some of the best elements of the top-end and more expensive Oasis device and packages them into a more affordable ereader.
We've had the opportunity to test out the newest version of the Kindle Paperwhite, and you'll find our first impressions below.
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2018) release date and price
You're able to pre-order the new Amazon Kindle Paperwhite from the retailer's website now, and it'll start shipping around the world on November 7.
The price starts at £119.99 / $129.99 / AU$199 for the 8GB version, and then there's a 32GB Wi-Fi only version that costs £149.99 / $159.99 / AU$249. If you want mobile internet on your Kindle, you'll get a 32GB version for £219.99 / $249.99 / AU$369.
Some countries have the choice of buying each Kindle with or without special offers, and the pricing above is for the ereader that does show you the special offers. You'll be spending around $10 or £10 more to get rid of those adverts.
Design and display
The Kindle Paperwhite is Amazon's mid-range ereader, sitting between the affordable Kindle and the top-end Kindle Oasis in Amazon's range, and the design reflects that.
It doesn't feel as premium as the Oasis, as it has a plastic rear, but we found it easy to grasp, and it doesn't look bad, although we did notice that it got grubby with fingerprints quite quickly.
On the bottom edge you'll find the power button as well as the microUSB slot for charging, but apart from that the edges are clear of buttons, so you can comfortably grip the device without pressing anything by mistake.
The bezels around the screen are thicker than on some more upmarket ereaders. These sit flush with the display, giving the Paperwhite a premium look like we've seen on the Kindle Voyage, but there aren't any hardware buttons for changing the page.
Instead you'll be using the touchscreen to flip through pages. The display itself is 6 inches with a resolution of 300 pixels per inch, which is the same as the last Paperwhite, and the perfect resolution for reading text.
The brightness has been slightly improved here, although it's not something we noticed in our limited testing.
One thing we really liked is that you can invert the display colors, so you can have white text on a black background, which is easier on the eye when reading in the dark.
Think Dark Mode in some of your favorite apps, but this time it's for your ebooks.
If you want to change the look of your Kindle Paperwhite, you can wrap it in one of five cases. There are material options as well as two leather ones, and you can see the whole selection below. These are set to cost upwards of £25 in the UK.
A big upgrade over the original Paperwhite, and one of a few features inherited from the top-end Oasis, is the fact the Kindle Paperwhite (2018) now comes with a waterproof design.
It means you can happily read in the bath, or while lounging by the pool, without having to worry about it getting splashed or dunked. It can survive up to 60 minutes at depths of up to 2 meters.
Features and specs
Another feature taken from the Oasis and packed into the Paperwhite is audiobooks integration, enabling you to listen to your Audible titles on the ereader using Bluetooth headphones or a Bluetooth speaker.
You can upload them all to your Kindle Paperwhite, and then connect to your device easily to listen to your books while you're on the move. You can also seamlessly switch between the ebook and audiobook version of a title in the software if you have both versions.
To be able to fit these in, there's now either 8GB or 32GB of storage inside the Kindle Paperwhite depending on what model you go for. There are Wi-Fi only versions of both storage sizes, but if you want mobile internet on your ereader you'll have to opt for the larger storage Kindle.
And for battery, there aren't any major improvements here but there don't need to be as the ereader will last weeks rather than days. The company estimates it'll last for up to eight weeks from a single charge, but it'll likely be closer to a month with consistent usage.
Software
The new Paperwhite comes with the latest Kindle software so you've got all the existing features as well as access to Amazon's store of literally millions of ebooks and hundreds of thousands of audiobooks.
A few tweaks to the software add some new features, and our favorite allows you to set font preferences so multiple people can use the same device.
Say someone in your family prefers to read at a larger font, while someone else prefers to have a smaller font and lots on the page. With this new feature you can now set up profiles for individuals.
With a simple tap on the top right, you'll see a drop down of all your profiles so you can easily switch between these. An example given to us was for when you're reading with young children who may want a larger font than you.
Early verdict
The Kindle Paperwhite has always been one of our favorite ereaders that money can buy, but this is the first time in a long while we've seen some serious and worthwhile upgrades to the line.
Features originally designed for the high-end Oasis like the audiobook integration and waterproof design will likely make this a must-have for anyone who enjoys reading on an ereader but doesn't want to spend lots on one.
from TechRadar - Technology Reviews https://ift.tt/2AdiLJH
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